Middle of The Night

I awoke in the middle of the night
It wasn't a startling event, more a fall into
the dead air of 3am
the little lamp lit the room in a heavenly glow
or a haze as my eyes adjusted to the light
the little gray kitten perched on my hip
and the white one on my shoulder
snoring like a loud lawn mower
the old black cat sitting on the edge of the bed
staring at the ground like a gargoyle
perched on a gothic church staring at all below


When I ventured my way to the bathroom
they followed me, circling my feet
so I had to walk like frankenstein slowly
as not to trip up or step on one of them
when I crawled back into bed I found your shirt
the shirt you left that still smelled like you
careful not to wash it hoping you'd linger longer
and I put it on a pillow and held it close
to me while the animals presumed their prior posts


And in the light of the lamp I imagined you there
sitting on the side of my bed
playing in my hair back from some long trip
and couldn't wait until the morning to arrive
needing to be sitting here in the dark
feeling a little sleepy from a belly full of oysters
swimming there happily
and I could hear you ask "are we ok?"
and when I am again awake, the smallest cat moved from
my thrashing hip to the pillow and now she smelled like you
and it gave me pause to hug her a little while longer
the missing you part passed and the day ahead of me
and I will get to it after I brush the strudel crumbs from the bed

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Kate sings this better than Elton, that's a rarity



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And because Best Friend mentioned she was missing Tori the other day, here's some of her best with Kate waiting for their sailor...